No travel restrictions have been issued in the wake of an outbreak of severe pneumonia which has spread from Asia to Canada, it was announced yesterday.

The World Health Authority (WHO) yesterday issued a global alert to travellers in response to a number of reports of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The warning, which was circulated by Bermuda's Chief Medical Officer John Cann last night, does not advise restrictions on travel.

In the past week, cases of SARS have been reported in Hong Kong, the Guandong province of China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Canada.

The cause of the outbreak is not known, but those affected have a high fever and one or more respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.

Another common factor is that they have either had close contact with someone diagnosed with SARS or have recently travelled to areas where SARS has been reported.